For many years, technology has been a strategic human resource plan that allows recruiters to attract more candidates by automating time-consuming steps in the process. The adoption of technology will only accelerate during the pandemic. A McKinsey survey found that in the early stages of the pandemic, companies accelerated their digital transformation by three to four years.

This is of course the case of talent acquisition. In response to a work environment that became remote almost overnight, the company implemented many tools to facilitate processes such as video interviews and remote onboarding.

Is digital transformation a panacea in the battle for candidates today? Well, no.

With technically supported processes and automated recruitment tasks, companies are still struggling to find and recruit suitable talents. Technology plays an important role, but this is only part of the equation.

Recruitment is not some static process, it can be analyzed and optimized at a certain moment and be regarded as “solved” forever. Today's recruitment environment is not static, which means the needs of the market, candidates and companies. This is a trio of changes, and technology alone cannot ensure success.

This is a completely different world, from one industry, role—sometimes an hour—to another. Talent availability may vary from town to town, and when you recruit remote positions, the situation becomes more complicated. We have witnessed this firsthand when states have different unemployment benefits policies and each region is affected differently by COVID-19. This instability is expected to continue.

Human factors in recruitment always require careful attention. The expectations and needs of candidates are changing in real time. In stable periods, they evolve more slowly; in rapidly changing times, they also change quickly. This has been true in the past two years, and it will be so in the foreseeable future. As long as talent is in short supply, candidates will be in a dominant position. With this, we all agree that there is no end in sight, especially in certain industries such as IT, manufacturing and many other industries.

We are still in a recovery period, and the company will either take advantage of new growth opportunities or rebuild its business after the pandemic interrupts its operations. Their talent needs are evolving as rapidly as their business goals. Some companies are hiring more remote talents, some companies have reduced the size of their offices and are actively building employer brands in new markets, while others are still thinking about what to do next.

Regardless of market dynamics, candidate expectations, and business needs, many processes remain the same, such as arranging interviews and sending follow-up communications. In these cases, for overburdened recruiters, the use of automation technology can save valuable time. It can also have a positive impact on the timing of recruitment indicators and ensure that candidates feel valued.

In addition, procurement and recruitment experts are needed to stay on track and achieve recruitment goals. Here are some examples of people playing a key role in this.

• Looking for talents: Procurement technology can display talent availability data by market, position, experience level, etc., to help recruiters predict which positions are difficult to fill. This data is useful for helping recruiters to deal with challenges ahead of time and for them to rethink where positions are full and what measures can be taken to attract more candidates.

• Talent competition: In a market where companies compete with high-paying competitors, companies need to reassess their salary levels and how they communicate benefits. Usually, companies only look at competitors by industry or company size. Especially when recruiting remote talents, they need to look at their competitors more broadly.

• Eliminate hiring challenges: Checking metrics early and often is key. For example, if the filling rate takes too long so that they start to affect the business, the company will need to adjust the job requirements. This can only be discovered by closely monitoring recruitment success after the first day and identifying disconnects.

Effective use of data to create better recruitment results requires strategic recruitment experts. Companies can hire these talents internally, or they can use external consultants or Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) teams to gain these expertise. External strategists can use the experience of other customers to help the company avoid making the same mistakes.

We live in unprecedented times, both personally and professionally. The recruitment strategy needs to be constantly re-examined and adjusted in real time to meet the recruitment challenges. Without monitoring and analysis, the process of technical support will not be able to keep up with the pace of market changes. Ultimately, the successful company will invest not only in technology, but also in the right resources to ensure that it is optimized for today's environment.

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